LOCAL AND GENERAL NEWS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXVI, Issue 20150, 10 January 1929, Page 8

LOCAL AND GENERAL NEWS.

The Pacific Cable Board's steamer Iris will return to Auckland this morning after repairing a fault in tho Eastern Extension Company's Now Zealand-Sydney cable. The fault was situated about 300 inilos from Wellington. The Iris will moor at the buoys at Devonport,

A railway .engineer and fitter, Mr. Frank Smith, aged 44, died suddenly at bis home, Station Itond, Penrose, early yesterday morning. His wifo found him breathing heavily when sbo went to take him a cup of tea at six o'clock. A doctor was called, but Mr. Smith was dead before lio arrived. lie had been a patient at tho Auckland Hospital for two years up to last August, and had been working with tho Railway Department since September. Ho had complained the evening beforo of illness.

A considerable improvement took placo •yesterday in tho condition of Miss Elva Davison, who was admitted to the Auckland Hospital on Tuesday evening suffering from injuries received in a motor-car accident on tho road near Brown s Bay. Both Miss Davison and her father, who was also injured, aro now progressing satisfactorily.

A painful accident befel a railway employee, Mr. John Louden, in tho Frankton Junction railway yards. Ho was oiling an ongino when it was moved and his right hand was caught in tho mechan ism. Three fingers were badly lacerated.

Two interesting sots of specimen gold and silver coins of the reign of King Edward VII. and King George V. have been presented by Mr. Moss Davis to tho Auckland City Council, which has handed them to tho museum. Tho gold coins are five sovereign, two sovereign, sovereign and half sovereign pieces, and in silver aro a crown, half-crown, florin, shilling, sixpence, foui pence, threepence, twopence and a penny. The principal feature of the crown in the set of King George's period i 3 a largo Imperial Crown. A complcto set of plates in an excellent state of preservation of Captain Cook's voyages has also been presented to the city by Mr. Moss Davis.

Tho nursery business offers a good opening for young men veil trained, according to opinions expressed at the confcrenco of tlio New Zealand Horticultural Trades Association in Christchurcli yesterdiij. It was stated that very few young men were learning the craft as apprentices to nurserymen while about 70 were taking tho diploma of horticulture course. Leading nuiserymen complained that they had constantly tried to get men properly qualified for the work, but had been unsuccessful, though thoy were prepared to pay good wages.

An increase was shown in the number of passenger tickets issued at the Frankton Junction and Hamilton railway stations during tho holiday period from December 14 to January 5, compared with those for the previous season. At Frankton 4592 ordinary and 5465 excursion tickets were issued, representing £4265 in revenue. At Hamilton the figures were 1449 ordinary tickets and 2388 excursion tickets, of a total value of £1976 4s 3d. The total revenue showed an increase of £6OO compared with tho amount for the corresponding period of a year ago.

Tho Elam School of Art, Auckland, has been honoured by the reproduction of four drawings by two of its students in the December number of The Studio. Tho artists are Miss Hildegarde Dixon and Mr. Seddon McLaren. Their drawings aro all from life and represent the nude female figure. Ono of them, by Mr. McLaren, was done against timo in ten minutes. The Studio is the foremost English art journal, and circulates throughout the English-speaking world.

The intensive campaign launched in Australia with a view to making New Zealand's attractions better known and to induce Australians to come to the Dominion for a holiday is bearing fruit. Each boat that crosses the Tasman is bringing a fair number of Australian tourists. The Ulimaroa, which arrived at Wellington on Tuesday from Sydney, brought a party who are to be conducted around tho beauty spots of the Dominion by a specially engaged guide.

In the last 80 years only sevpn peoplfc have been killed in New Zealand-as a result of earthquakes. A shock in October, 1848, wrecked a wall in Wellington and three people were killed. Seven years later, when Wellington was shaken by a severe earthquake, another death occurred, the victim being struck by a falling chimney. A child met its death in tho Cheviot earthquake in November, 1901. There was another long interval of freedom from fatal injuries ciuo to earthquakes until April, 1913, when falling material from the post oflico at Masterton killed a Maori. Tho last recorded death traceable to earthquakes was that of a shepherd, who was killed in Gisborne in October, 1914.

Thoso who complain that tho presentday pennies aro too big and heavy for the pocket would have had more reason for complaint had they lived in tho eighteenth century. Thero was exhibited in Invercargill recently a George 111. penny > dated 1797 which was dug up by a Winton resident about 16 years ago. The penny is nearly a quarter of an inch thick and is ono and a-half times the diameter of the penny of to-day. It would make an excellent paper weight.

Tomato-picking has commenced on some of tho Napier properties, although the largo amount of unseasonable weather has bad a backward effect. L'rior to last month's destructive hailstorm, tho crops wcro in great condition and tho tomatoes plentiful, but considerable damage was done on that occasion, and it is expected that the tomato output will be reduced this year in consequence.

In the selection of tho Wellington cricket teams to meet Otago and Canterbury in the recent i'lunket Shield matches difficulty was experienced in completing the sides owing to the dropping out of players who had boen chosen The lateness of somo of tho withdrawals, it is stated, mado it harder still to fill the vacancies as required, since other likely players had completed arrangements which prevented them from accepting the representative honours offered at a late hour. The matter has been discussed by tho Wellington Cricket Association's management committeo, and after considering individual cases it was decided to instruct tho selector that two players who had dropped out of previous shield teams were to be regarded as ineligible for tho team to meet Auckland. This action, it was felt, would servo as an indication that tho association did not want tho same trouble in completing teams in the future.